This case study explains how Ubisoft, the video game developer, engaged gamers and sustained their interest for its new game, Watch_Dogs, in Canada. View Summary

This case study explains how Ubisoft, the video game developer, engaged gamers and sustained their interest for its new game, Watch_Dogs, in Canada.

The game was launched at Electronic Entertainment Expo 10 months before its set release in March 2014 and Ubisoft needed to keep attention for this whole time and drive pre-orders.

The digitally savvy target of hardcore gamers are often cynical of marketing noise so Ubisoft used a mobile app, Watch_Dogs Live, that brought to life the premise of the game in the real world and also provided continuous contact for communication.

The app was downloaded over 200,000 times, demonstrated sustained engagement and delivered pre-sales five times the industry norm.

The PS4 was positioned as being for gaming only - in contrast to previous PS launches which had talked about multiple uses - and focussed on digital, with increased activity to include TV and cinema nearer the launch.

This resulted in increased European sales objectives by 20% and in the UK PS4 gained the position as market leader over its rival.

This paper describes research into value-exchange advertising in video games, finding that 'opt-in' and value-exchange ads created a positive response. View Summary

This paper describes research into value-exchange advertising in video games, finding that 'opt-in' and value-exchange ads created a positive response.

In the past, video game players resisted in-game advertising, but the development of video game platforms and advertising technology mean that new in-game ads are invitational rather than disruptive, and can deliver in-game rewards.

In this research passive tracking and surveys were used to understand in-game behaviour in response to ads and the users' attitudes.

Attitudes towards such ads were found to be positive, with value-exchange ads being more noticeable and memorable than others.

It was also found that 'opt-in', ads placed in the proper flow of the game and immediate rewards produced a more positive response.

4

Ford Fusion: It's In the Game

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Best Practice

ARF Ogilvy Awards, Gold, Entertainment & Sports, 2014

This case study describes how Ford Motors partnered with EA, the video games company, to target 25-49 year old men in the US with a new car model. View Summary

This case study describes how Ford Motors partnered with EA, the video games company, to target 25-49 year old men in the US with a new car model.

Research had found that this target group primarily spent their free time watching sports and playing video games, and that they were cynical towards advertising.

It had also found appreciation of opt-in ads in return for in-game rewards, and so in-game advertising was developed for the new NHL '13 game.

Crucially, the rewards for opting in provided functional in-game rewards that enhanced the gameplay experience.

This approach led to an increase in brand awareness, and high levels of ad recall, favourable opinion and purchase intent.

89% of those exposed to the ad performed a brand specific action after viewing it, including visiting the website or 'liking' it on Facebook.

5

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, "The Vet and the n00b"

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Effie Worldwide, Grand Effie, North America Effies 2013

This case describes the US launch of the video game 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3', which sought to engage two groups of male gamers: its existing core audience of young (18-24) hardcore gamers and an older (late 20s-30s) audience of lighter gamers who wouldn't typically see Call of Duty as a game for them. View Summary

This case describes the US launch of the video game 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3', which sought to engage two groups of male gamers: its existing core audience of young (18-24) hardcore gamers and an older (late 20s-30s) audience of lighter gamers who wouldn't typically see Call of Duty as a game for them. The creative idea was based around an online video, 'The Vet and the N00b', which depicted a new gamer (known as 'n00bs') slowly learning from an experienced gamer (the 'vet'), and celebrated the thrill of progression. Effectiveness was measured against launch-day sales for core gamers and five-day figures for the older group; both figures substantially beat sales of the previous iteration of the game.

6

Dead Space 2: Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2

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Effie Worldwide, Gold, North America Effies 2012

Dead Space 2, a video game in the survival-horror genre, is the sequel to one of the most grotesque video games ever. View Summary

Dead Space 2, a video game in the survival-horror genre, is the sequel to one of the most grotesque video games ever. But this genre is a little too gruesome for mainstream gamers' tastes, limiting the ability to break into the more lucrative action games market. In order to spark interest in the game, the gruesome nature of the game was celebrated by filming mothers' disgusted reactions and broadcasting them, thereby giving the game a "cool" factor. The strategy invoked intrigue and engagement with the game, with week one sales seeing huge gains over the original title.

7

Kinect for Xbox 360: You are the Controller

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Trends

Best Practice

ARF Ogilvy Awards, Gold, Consumer Electronics, 2012

Following the successful launch of the Kinect - the voice and motion sensor controller for games console Xbox 360 - the goal for Microsoft in 2011 was to reach an audience beyond the Xbox's traditional core gaming group. View Summary

Following the successful launch of the Kinect - the voice and motion sensor controller for games console Xbox 360 - the goal for Microsoft in 2011 was to reach an audience beyond the Xbox's traditional core gaming group. Research showed that many "Family Timers" already owned a Nintendo Wii and didn't understand the distinction of the Kinect, instead viewing it as a Wii copycat. The campaign focused on what the Kinect did and could do, positioning it as a piece of the future that could be enjoyed in homes today. Kinect's familiarity scores grew by 18 points in the US and by 12 points in France. In 2011, the Xbox outsold the second-place console by over 2.7 million units.

8

PlayStation - MLB' 09: The Show

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Effie Worldwide, Gold, North America Effies 2010

MLB 09 traditionally set the standard for baseball gaming titles. In 2009, we were faced with launching a game with moderate development gains but no real news. View Summary

MLB 09 traditionally set the standard for baseball gaming titles. In 2009, we were faced with launching a game with moderate development gains but no real news. To create differentiation, we had to aggressively own authenticity in a way that felt "of baseball". Our strategy was to feature one of the game's brightest stars, Dustin Pedroia, and talk about the game within the game. By building a cultural dialogue around the smallest detail, we showed PlayStation will go to any lengths to make the most authentic baseball game available.

"Halo 3 Believe" set out to have the biggest opening sales in the entertainment industry by deploying a cross-platform approach to story-telling. View Summary

"Halo 3 Believe" set out to have the biggest opening sales in the entertainment industry by deploying a cross-platform approach to story-telling. This phased campaign by McCann Erickson centred on the game’s lead character and employed events, PR, paid-for online, television, cinema and print advertising and multiple other channels. As a result, the game recorded £84m of opening sales, beating the previous record held by the Spiderman movie.

10

Nintendo - Wii Would Like to Play

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Trends

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Effie Worldwide, Gold, New Product, Effie Awards 2008

The video game industry had long been perceived as only appealing to its most ardent users, while (inadvertently) shutting casual users and non-gamers out. View Summary

The video game industry had long been perceived as only appealing to its most ardent users, while (inadvertently) shutting casual users and non-gamers out. The Nintendo Wii aimed to revolutionise this perspective by being designed to make gaming accessible, and interactive, for everyone. Instead of targeting the teenage male gamer - the industry benchmark - the Wii targeted his mom, dad and grandmother. The initial TV creative, featuring two Japanese ambassadors, took the form of a mass invitation to play; the second showed families and friends using the Wii together to demonstrate that the Wii was innocent, fun and refreshingly simple, and also showed that using the system required getting off the couch and moving around, so as to establish that Wii promoted physical activity. The system was sold out nationwide on its launch, and was a hit in the media (after pre-launch bad press) and with families across the country.

This article discusses how the agency for Nintendo developed a way of branding the diversity of its magazine advertising. View Summary

This article discusses how the agency for Nintendo developed a way of branding the diversity of its magazine advertising. The trick was to suck gamers into the fantastical and playful detail of the Nintendo world, just as the games themselves do. A 5% increase in market share resulted.

Launching and consequently marketing Xbox in New Zealand was always going to be a challenge. PlayStation and PlayStation 2 dominated the market and Microsoft did not share in the consumer heritage of video gaming. View Summary

Launching and consequently marketing Xbox in New Zealand was always going to be a challenge. PlayStation and PlayStation 2 dominated the market and Microsoft did not share in the consumer heritage of video gaming. There were optimistic sales targets and less than 2 months to build brand awareness, achieve buy in from the core target market, build a media database, identify endorsers and worthwhile programmes of advertising and sponsorship in order to get momentum for Christmas. The key to success was not a huge budget. In fact, the budget itself provided unique challenges and a spur to think innovatively. The key to success was excellent media partners; it was a strong creative strategy that looked to include the wider market and reinforce and repeat the features of the product; it was heavy integration of media and public relations programmes to support the above the line campaign. There was a need to market an experience – not just a product – and all tactical applications reinforced this. The result was an instant success that took the competition by surprise, bettered all marketing objectives, created a strong brand association with the core target market and made New Zealand one of the most successful territories for Xbox in the world.